Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the Internet Archive BOWERY LIFE By Chuck Connors Mayor Of Chinatown Illustrated Richard K. Fox Publishing Company Franklin Square, New York City 1904 [Illustration: 0001] [Illustration: 0004] [Illustration: 0005] INTRODUCTION Chuck Connors, popularly known as the Mayor of Chinatown, is without doubt, one of the best known of the many New York celebrities. He was the original “Chimmie Fadden,” a character in a series of stories and plays which have proved a gold mine for one enterprising writer on a New York daily. He is picturesque, and if there was such a thing as an American Coster Chuck would be the true type. He is a philosopher as well as a story teller. He has been a prize fighter, and his appearances on the stage have been successful ones. When he fought, he fought well, as he does everything, and in the days when he was in his prime, and everything went, he put away many a man who was a great deal bigger than he was. He has learned to read and write during the past few years, and has added those accomplishments to his many others. “It was a pipe,” he says, “to get next to doin' de act wid a pen an' ink, an' as fur de readin' gag, oh, good night. I wuz Johnny on de spot wid dat. But wot got me goin' was telling de time. On de level, it took me t'ree months before I got next. Wot twisted me up wuz the little hand always sneakin' by de big hand. Say, it was like a race between a thoroughbred an' a piker. But I'm on now, all right.” No tough boy in Gotham can equal his mannerisms and talk. His is the original tough dialect untouched by education. Chuck's distinction is attributed in a manner to his style of dress. A blue flannel shirt, a short coat with white pearl buttons, a white tie and a very small hat; that makes the character you read about. In fact, his dress is as famous on the Bowery as himself. It is in his talk that the remarkable qualities of the man are revealed. Men of all stations in life are held by his wit, his originality, the honest, forcible character of his mind, the uncompromising manner he knows best. The life of the Bowery, “de lane” he calls it, the streets he loves, he could not be torn from. He is the supreme interpreter of Bowery slang. “De real ting,” “Ah, forget it,” “Go in under the table,” and “Oh, good night” are phrases that Chuck invented. His popularity with the Chinese is remarkable, and his honesty has never been questioned for a moment by anyone. [Illustration: 0009] He has many strong personal and influential friends, who keep in touch with him through correspondence, and among them may be mentioned Sir Henry Irving, the actor, Israel Zangwill, the author; Count Albert De Sichtervelt, of Bulgaria; Sir Thomas Lipton, Chauncey Depew, Admiral Von Dietrich, of the German Navy; Hall Caine, author of “The Eternal City,” and Nat Goodwin, the actor.